In one way or another all of the Buddha's teachings point towards letting go... other words with the same meaning are: renunciation, abandoning, reliquishing or giving up... This talk is about the what, why, where and when of letting go..

Opening Talk for a retreat that explores the relationship between personal and social transformation. There are profound parallels between our individual predicament and our collective situation, and this retreat explores their nonduality. If the self is an insecure construct haunted by a sense of lack, we gain insight into our preoccupation with attachments such as money, fame, power and romance, and how the 'three poisons' (greed, ill will and delusion) have become institutionalised.

The essence of speech practice in difficult situations is to find ways to stay connected, in one's inner experience and use of speech, to our awareness, love, and wisdom. We focus on a number of supports for such practice, including grounding and centering in the body, being open to difficulties as opportunities for learning, understanding the judgmental mind, and, especially, cultivating deep listening.

The Buddhist concept of Atammayata or "unconcoctibility" literally means "not made of that." The revered 20th Century master Ajahn Buddhadasa called this principle, "the last word and final sword of Buddhism."